Anthony Bate makes official authority quietly uncomfortable: the voice stays mild while irritation begins to show. We value his precision, especially as Oliver Lacon, though that sober manner can keep us at a distance.
Fi1m perspective
Anthony Bate's Sir Oliver Lacon speaks mildly enough to make his officiousness more aggravating. In Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979), the Home Office undersecretary has the composure of someone who expects orderly behaviour and resents having to ask for it. Bate lets irritation disturb that composure without turning Lacon into a blustering obstacle. We felt a grudging sympathy for him, because Bate makes his need for order look vulnerable. He gives us enough to understand Lacon without making him particularly agreeable.
The earlier television work includes Javert in Les Misérables (1967) and Dr Livesey in Treasure Island (1977), roles that drew on his sober presence and precision. Espionage became a particular concentration in the late 1970s and 1980s, with Kim Philby in Philby, Burgess and Maclean (1977), Lacon, and the intelligence chief Bret Rensselaer in Game, Set and Match (1988). His lean, pale-eyed appearance helped, but the deceptively mild intonation mattered more. The casting is easy to understand: he could suggest seniority without having to insist on it.
Alec Guinness makes Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy absorbing and unexpectedly sad, and Bate's more officious presence is a useful part of the company around him. The series gives small changes in manner time to register, which suits an actor who can convey irritation so quietly. There is a limit to the pleasure: Bate's reserve can leave Lacon rather remote, while the programme's pace sometimes tries our patience. His precision rewards attention, but there is little invitation to feel at ease with him.
Bate returned as Lacon in Smiley's People (1982), and continued with guest appearances in crime series into the 2000s. He remained a recognisable face rather than a star; that is hardly a failing in an actor so effective at making officials seem accustomed to being obeyed. We recommend starting with Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, with enough patience for a series that sometimes makes even careful viewers work.
Biography
Anthony Bate (31 August 1927 – 19 June 2012) was an English actor. He was born in Stourbridge, Worcestershire, and educated at King Edward VI School there and at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, where he won the gold medal. After national service in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve, he worked in amateur dramatics and repertory theatre before making his West End debut in 1960.
Bate appeared in numerous British television series and adaptations. He is best known for playing the civil servant Sir Oliver Lacon in the BBC adaptations of John le Carré’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979) and Smiley’s People (1982). Other notable roles include Kim Philby in Philby, Burgess and Maclean (1977) and Bret Renssalaer in Game, Set and Match (1988). He also appeared in series such as The Avengers, The Saint, Inspector Morse, Agatha Christie’s Poirot, A Touch of Frost and Midsomer Murders.
